


Over A Couple Of Drinks

by mydeira



Series: Something Maybe 'Verse [14]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-09
Updated: 2011-07-09
Packaged: 2017-10-21 05:03:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/221223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’re not exactly friends, but sometimes you just need someone to talk to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Over A Couple Of Drinks

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: through “Out of Time”
> 
> Disclaimer: Sadly, I am neither RTD nor the BBC. This is purely for the exorcism of the big bad bunny that landed on my head.
> 
> A/N: Follows Wrong Time To Be Thinking Of You and takes place after the episode “Out of Time.” This is the fourteenth installment in the Something Maybe ‘Verse. Most of what we saw in the episode transpires pretty much the same way in my little ‘verse.

Tosh smiled at Gwen in greeting and waved her over to the table. “You get Emma off to London all right?”

Gwen sighed as she sat down. “She couldn’t wait to be gone. Not as I blame her. Emma’s got a chance at a life she never even dreamed of a week ago.” Realizing how unenthusiastic she sounded, she added, “And I’m happy for her, really. I just…”

“You got attached.” Tosh’s voice was warm and sympathetic.

“Suppose so.” God, she felt like shit. And it wasn’t just Emma leaving. That was the less painful thing to focus on right now. Rhys calling her on the carpet for lying to him so easily—that hurt, a lot. As it should. And he had every right to be livid. The lie about Emma was mild compared to everything else.

Tosh’s voice broke into her thoughts. “If ever there was someone in need of a drink…” She flagged down a passing waitress. “Cheryl, can you get me another rum and coke? And my friend here will have a whiskey?” Gwen nodded. “Make that a double.”

Gwen felt her lips curl in half-hearted amusement. Whole bottle was more apt, but a double was a good place to start. She looked up at the waitress. “Can you also bring me a pint of whatever lager’s on tap? Thanks.”

“So what’s really wrong, Gwen?” Tosh asked after the waitress took off.

“I think everything would be about right.”

“Oh, that’s all.”

Gwen couldn’t help the small, tight laugh that escaped in response. “Yup, that’s all.”

Cheryl arrived with their drinks, and they sat in silence until she left them.

“I know we’re not exactly friends,” Tosh began, “but you look like you need someone to talk to. And I’m a good listener.”

It was the reason Gwen had called her up in the first place, or maybe just the desire to see a somewhat friendly face.

“Why aren’t we friends?” Gwen wondered out loud.

Tosh shrugged, sipping her drink. “I don’t know. Except maybe our job’s not exactly conducive to that sort of thing.”

“Maybe.” Gwen picked up the whiskey and drank down half, enjoying the burn as it trailed down her throat. “Have you ever looked back on things you’ve done, Tosh, knowing they’re wrong, and wondered why you don’t feel as bad about them as you should? And then you feel bad because you don’t feel bad?”

Something like sorrow crossed Tosh’s face and then was gone. “Oh, I think I might have an idea.”

Of course she did. “I’m sorry, Tosh.” And Gwen meant it.

Tosh seemed to understand that. “Thanks.”

They both lapsed into silence, staring at their respective drinks.

Before she could lose her nerve, Gwen blurted out her real concern. “Owen’s with Diane, isn’t he?”

Tosh’s eyes widened a moment, then she nodded. “Yeah.”

Gwen swallowed. She had suspected as much, but confirmation hurt. “Good for him,” she attempted to sound diplomatic.

That earned her a disbelieving snort from Tosh. “Meaning you hope he dies a thousand painful deaths.”

“Something like that,” Gwen sighed and finished off her whiskey. Then she drank down a generous portion of the lager. Finally, she felt like she could talk. “I don’t have any real right to be jealous, do I? It’s not like we were anything to each other.” But he had wanted them to be, even given her the chance to sort things, given her some space. Then she’d all but thrown it back in his face by putting things off and putting things off until… “We’ve not been much of anything lately.”

“You hurt him, Gwen.” Tosh’s voice was so soft, Gwen wasn’t sure that she had spoken. Tosh pushed her drink to the side. “Owen’s…how do I want to say this? Owen seems tougher than he is. And I think you know that, too. He’s a flirt and a wanker because it’s safer that way.”

“Keeps people at a distance,” Gwen murmured.

“Exactly,” Tosh agreed. “But he let you in, and he hasn’t done that with anyone in a long time.”

No wonder he had been so angry.

Tosh’s next question startled Gwen from her reverie. “You care for him, don’t you?”

“I…” Gwen couldn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah, I do.”

“But you still love Rhys.”

“I’m used to Rhys.” Then she added, “If I really loved Rhys, I’d let him go, wouldn’t I? Stop lying to him and hurting him.”

“I don’t know,” Tosh said. “Maybe.”

“I thought all this time I was protecting him, keeping him in the dark. But I think I might have just been protecting myself.” She stopped, then continued, feeling disgusted with herself. “I don’t want Rhys being a part of this life. And Torchwood is my life now.”

“It has a way of getting to be, whether you want it to or not.”

“And that leaves me with no one in the end, doesn’t it? Gave up Rhys ages ago, but I couldn’t accept it. And now I’ve lost Owen because I was a coward,” she concluded.

Tosh reached across the table, her hand resting warm over Gwen’s. “You’re not a coward, Gwen. Just overwhelmed. Look at all you’ve been through the last few months. You wouldn’t still be here if you were a coward.”

Gwen didn’t entirely believe it, but the words were nice to hear. “Thanks, Tosh.”

“That’s what friends do, right?” Tosh said, moving back to her side of the table.

“Yeah, they do.”

Gwen still felt like shit and had no clue how to fix things, but she was glad she’d rung up Tosh. Though she hadn’t done this to talk about her problems. She’d wanted company and distraction. Maybe it was time to get to know Tosh better.

“So what have you been up to these days? You ever get that decoder device working again?”

Tosh looked a bit uncertain, but there was a small light in her eyes that grew the more she talked. They were both in need of someone to talk to. There was really no reason it couldn’t be each other. Gwen wished they had done this a lot sooner.


End file.
